


Exhaustion

by Tillyalf427



Series: Freed One Shots [18]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Freed X Reader, How Do I Tag, Love Confessions, Nightmares, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Teasing, awkward sleeping positions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 09:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18049802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tillyalf427/pseuds/Tillyalf427
Summary: Y/n hasn't been sleeping properly at night, luckily Mira notices and forces her to sleep, unluckily, it puts Freed in a slightly awkward position





	Exhaustion

**Author's Note:**

> I've not written anything with Freed in it for a while so this may be a bit terrible but oh well, enjoy

 

  
The guild was as loud as usual as Y/n sat at the bar, staring absentmindedly at the wall as Mira told her a story about what had happened whilst the H/c mage had been away on a mission with the Raijinshuu. Unfortunately, Y/n found it practically impossible to focus on what the white-haired girl said. She could feel her eyes slipping closed every now and then before she would snap her eyes open once more, her head jolting up from where it had fallen slightly.  
Mira gave her a smirk upon seeing her jerk awake once more, placing another glass away before turning to the sleepy mage.  
"You should go home and sleep you know, it wouldn't be smart to fall asleep here, you know what Natsu and Gray are like," Mira suggested, receiving a shake of the head from Y/n.  
".. Can't....." Y/n said in between a long yawn, resting her head on her arms which were sprawled across the bar.  
"Is something wrong?" Mira asked and the H/c mage lifted her head slightly to glance at Mira, releasing a long sigh.  
"Yeah...Just can't sleep for some reason...it's been six? Seven days now? I honestly can't remember...."  
Mira gave the mage a sympathetic smile and asked in disbelief, a scolding tone to her voice.  
"And you've still been going on missions? Do you realise how dangerous that is?"  
Y/n looked away guiltily, fully aware of how much danger she put not only herself but also the raijinshuu in.  
"I'm sorry..." She apologised quietly, Mira simply ruffling her hair in response.  
"Go and sleep, I don't care where but you need to sleep. Go and sleep on Evergreens shoulder or something just please, get some rest," Mira practically begged and the H/c girl nodded and dragged herself up from where she practically lay across the bar. She stumbled slightly as she stood up, her head spinning as it adjusted to her standing up suddenly. With another stern look from Mira, she glanced around the guild, immediately spotting Freed's green hair and heading in that direction, figuring that Evergreen would be with him and Bixslow.  
As she approached the table, she spotted Evergreen who looked shocked upon seeing her.  
"Y/n what's wrong? You look terrible! No offence," The brunette asked, grasping Y/n's hand and pulling her to sit down next to her.  
"I'm just tired," the H/c mage responded with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.  
"You should really go home and sleep," Freed suggested and Y/n simply shook her head.  
"Can't sleep at home...Mira said to come over here so that Natsu and Gray don't do anything stupid if I fall asleep,"   
The group stared at her in concern before Evergreen wrapped an arm around the H/c mage, pulling her closer so that her head rested on her shoulder.  
"Sleep," She demanded lightly "How long has it been since you slept properly?"  
Y/n avoided the three pairs of eyes trained on her as she stared past Freed and responded.  
"About a week..."  
She caught sight of Freed's face turning into one of shock from the corner of her eye.  
"You're not leaving here is too you've slept for a while," The rune mage stated, leaving no room for arguments, not that Y/n had any as she felt her eyes growing heavy again.

The friendly chattering from her teammates faded into a blur as her eyes closed completely, sleep beginning to overtake her.  
Somehow falling asleep surrounded by her team made her feel at ease, unlike when she tried to sleep at home. Nightmares plagued her sleep at home and the darkness was unnerving however at the guild she was safe. They would make sure of that.

"Looks like she's actually taken our advice and gone to sleep," Freed commented with a small fond smile directed towards the H/c girl.  
"A week with no sleep...how is she even still standing?" Even Bixslow seemed surprised. Freed nodded and Bixslow joked "Be careful not to move Ever or it will be your fault she wakes up,"

The brunette rolled her eyes at his antics before the group returned to regular conversations.

Not too long later, Freed stood up to go and get drinks for them all, returning with three glasses and Mira following, stating that she wanted to check that Y/n was actually sleeping.

The white-haired girl gently ruffled Y/n's hair upon seeing her rested against Evergreen before turning to the H/c mages team.

"I don't know how much she told you but do any of you know why she can't sleep at home? When I asked she seemed almost scared..."

The three shook their heads, each of them thinking back to anything that Y/n had said over the past few weeks.

"I can't think of anything..." Freed muttered, somewhat angrily at himself for not noticing something was wrong "We can ask her when she wakes up though," He offered

Mira nodded and left the group to their own devices.

They sat for another half an hour or so before Evergreen spoke.

"Freed or Bixslow one of you come and sit here and let Y/n sleep on you, I really need to stretch my legs and go to the toilet," 

Bixslow smirked and elbowed the rune mage in the ribs, teasing him by saying

"Off you go, your girlfriend needs you,"

Freed grumbled something along the lines of 'she's not my girlfriend Bixslow, shut up'  under his breath but complied anyway, moving around to the other side of the table and gently lifting the H/c mage off Evergreen before sitting where the brunette was previously and placing Y/n down so that she was laid down fully with her head resting on his thigh, ensuring that she wouldn't hurt her neck from resting on his shoulder.

He caught the smirks that his other two teammates sent him and gave them a sharp glare, silently telling them to shut up or forget whatever they were about to say.

"Okay but seriously Freed, you need to ask her out, she clearly likes you," Bixslow's smirk had almost vanished, his voice sounding serious, or at least as serious as he could ever sound.

"...I..." Freed began, glancing down at Y/n's peaceful face, his hand gently moving to her hair to work out some of the knots that had formed in the H/c locks "I can't. What if you're wrong and we can never talk to each other normally again? Not only will it ruin my friendship with her, but it would probably also ruin this team, I don't want that,"

"Dude, you're not as smart as you seem if you honestly can't see that you like each other, even Natsu can see it and he's oblivious," Bixslow laughed

"I'm not asking her out and that's final," freed stated as Y/n began stirring slightly in her sleep.

The green haired rune mage froze, scared that Y/n had been awake to hear the previous conversation, however, as he continued stroking the H/c hair, she relaxed again, only shifting slightly to lie on her other side.

Freed's face immediately burned bright red and Bixslow seemed confused as Freed went as stiff as a board.

"What's up with you? Have you finally realised that she likes you?" Bixslow joked just as Evergreen returned.

"Bixslow what have you done? Why is Freed about to spontaneously combust?" the brunette asked as she sat next to Bixslow where Freed had been previously. Bixslow shrugged and looked at Freed again with a questioning glance.

The rune mages eyes flicked down to the H/c head in his lap, causing Bixslow and Evergreen to lean over the table to see what was wrong. The two failed to hold back their laughter upon seeing the awkward position that the rune mage was currently in.

Y/n had rolled over in her sleep, now facing Freed's body rather than the table only, her face was now uncomfortably close to Freed's crotch.

"I swear if you two don't stop laughing," Freed warned, doing nothing but encouraging the laughter from his friends.

"Sorry Freed but it's too funny seeing you so flustered," Evergreen smirked.

"What do I do?" freed asked exasperatedly. As much as he wanted the H/c mage to sleep, he also didn't think she would appreciate sleeping like this.

"Leave her," Bixslow suggested passively

"I mean, unless you're going to wake her up when she was so exhausted before, how cruel that would be," Evergreen added

Freed groaned and dragged his hand down his face, a glare directed at his two 'friends'.

"Relax Freed, as long as you don't become 'interested' in anything, you should be fine," Bixslow laughed and Freed could feel his eye twitching in frustration.

"If I could throw something at you right now, I would," Freed warned, his voice low and threatening.

"I'm sure she won't even realise when she wakes up," Evergreen reassured

The three talked for a while longer, Freed's face a constant shade of red as he became all too aware of his body.

Unfortunately for him, just as he'd become somewhat calmer about the situation, the H/c girl began shifting slightly in her sleep. When it continued for longer than last time however, he became concerned. Y/n's forehead was furrowed as she twisted and turned in her sleep, her breathing coming out irregularly.

Bixslow and Evergreen had also stopped talking upon noticing Y/n's movements. Freed gave them a concerned look before they all heard a small

"No...! Stop....!" The H/c girl turned again before mumbling quieter "Freed...?... Please say something....anything...please...."

A single tear managed to escape Y/n's eyes as she snapped awake, sitting bolt upright immediately and almost headbutting Freed.

"Whoah, what's wrong? Are you alright?" The rune mage asked, holding Y/n steady as she shook slightly where she sat

"Y...yeah I'm fine..." the H/c girls voice was unsteady as she spoke and she avoided eye contact with her teammates, completely refusing to even look in Freed's direction.

"It sounded like you was having a nightmare, are you sure you're alright?" Evergreen and Bixslow were quiet as Freed asked again.

"Yeah...I mean..yeah it was a nightmare but I'm okay...." The H/c mage relaxed slightly against Freed again, resting her head against his shoulder as her eyes closed again, dozing off slightly.

"Is this why you haven't been sleeping properly?" Evergreen asked gently and the H/c mages eyes fluttered open again. She nodded and felt Freed's hand come up to stroke her hair softly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Freed asked gently

"Not really....maybe later...." Y/n yawned and lay down again to rest her head on Freed's leg again.

Another smirk was sent in the direction of the rune mage by Bixslow who thankfully stayed quiet with a glare from Freed.

It didn't take long before Y/n was blissfully asleep again, the sky gradually darkening outside.

 

 

A few more hours had passed and it was getting late, the sky turning an inky black colour. Evergreen had just left, deciding that she was too tired to deal with Bixslow any longer and Bixslow was now thinking of leaving.

Freed decided to stay, not wanting to wake the H/c girl asleep in his lap and so he said a quick goodbye to his teammates as they left and looked down fondly at Y/n.

"You should have told us you were struggling," He frowned slightly at the unconscious girl "You could have gotten hurt," 

It was silent again for a moment before the H/c girl shifted slightly with a small groan. She looked around a bit after opening her eyes, squinting as she adjusted to the bright light.

"Freed? Where's everyone gone?" She asked, sleep still filling her voice as she looked up in confusion

"It's getting late so they've gone home," the green haired male explained, to which Y/n nodded

"Sorry, you probably want to go home too," She mumbled as she sat up, Freed immediately missing her warmth.

"It's alright, you were exhausted, I didn't want to wake you up," Freed smiled and Y/n looked away "Is everything okay?"

Y/n nodded non-commitedly and Freed frowned again

"You can talk to me you know," He spoke gently and Y/n nodded, glancing up at him before averting her gaze again.

"It was just a nightmare....so why is it  bothering me so much?" She mumbled sadly and Freed gently took her hand.

"If you want to talk about it, I can try and help," He offered with a gentle squeeze to her hand. There was silence between the two again for a moment before Y/n spoke again

"You...You died...There was some battle...and you tried protecting us all...and y..you..." Her voice choked off at the end, feeling tears welling in her eyes.

Freed gently pulled her into a side hug and Y/n let the tears fall from her eyes.

"That's never going to happen, I promise. It was just a dream, I'm not going anywhere," Freed tried to reassure, stroking the H/c girls back gently.

"...Freed...I..I...really like you...I don't want to lose you....ever.....I'm sorry...now really isn't the time for that is it...." She sniffled lightly and Freed pulled away from her slightly to get a better look at her. the H/c girl felt dread and regret pooling in her stomach upon feeling Freed move away, avoiding eye contact with the rune mage at all costs.

"Y/n, please look at me," Freed requested and Y/n shook her head, staring down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers "Do...Do you mean that in the way I think you do...?" 

She bit her tongue harshly and nodded, preparing to be told that they couldn't be on the same team anymore and that he didn't like her that way.

Instead, however, she felt long fingers lifting her chin up slightly so that she had to meet the rune mages eyes.

"Now I don't know what you're thinking of but it's clearly something negative and you need to stop. I like you too Y/n but I didn't tell you because I didn't think you felt the same way. I'd rather stay friends with you than ruin it all by confessing but I promise you, I feel the same," Freed explained gently, his other hand coming up to brush some H/c hair out of Y/n's face

"Really?" Y/n asked in disbelief, her eyes wide and her face blushing a light pink

"Really," Freed stated firmly "Is this nightmare something that's been happening a lot? Is that why you've not slept properly?" The rune mage asked gently, to which Y/n nodded

"It...wasn't as bad before, usually they are a lot worse but being here makes me feel safer? I think...I'm not entirely sure myself,"

"Well, in that case, you're staying with me until you're not falling asleep sat at the bar," Freed stated, leaving no room for arguments as he scooped the H/c girl up in his arms bridal style and began leaving the guild, heading towards his house.

"Freed!" Y/n squeaked at the unexpected action receiving a small grin in response.

They reached Freed's house not too long later and Freed managed to unlock the door without putting Y/n down, heading inside and placing the H/c girl on his bed gently. He dug out some spare clothes for her to get changed into and they both changed quickly before settling down, Freed immediately pulling Y/n close to his chest.

"I can already imagine the amount of teasing Bixslow is going to do because of this but Y/n, will you be my girlfriend?" Freed asked quietly. Y/n laughed and Freed looked at her in confusion as she replied

"Of course you big dummy," 

They both lay smiling like idiots before sleep finally overtook them.

 

 

 

Y/n had partly expected the teasing from her guildmates the next day. Especially when she showed up with Freed, however, she was confused when the first thing Bixslow joked was

"So Y/n, did Freed tell you about what you did in your sleep yesterday?"

Freed's face burned red and a deadly glare was sent in Bixslow's direction as Y/n looked between Freed and Bixslow questioningly.

"No, what happened?" She asked tentatively and Freed groaned as Bixslow smirked at the rune mage's suffering

"How about you sit down and I'll explain," Bixslow laughed evilly and Y/n knew it couldn't be anything good when he was acting like this. Oh, how right she was. After the explanation, her face was burning as red as Freed's coat and she refused to remove her face from her hands.

"Bixslow I'm going to destroy you," Freed warned, his face also a dark shade of red as his teammates laughed. Bixslow's face fell slightly at the threat and he immediately left the table to go and get some drinks as a way to avoid Freed's wrath.

Unfortunately, he couldn't run forever.


End file.
